by JOHN ANNESE
Thomas Gerrish and Michael Egan may have been off-duty, but that didn't stop them from springing into action when they saw smoke coming from a Great Kills townhouse in June. Their quick reaction saved the life of a cat named Dime and earned them the title of Advance Firefighters of the Month. Gerrish, 41, of Ladder Co. 77 in Stapleton, and Egan, 39, of Ladder Co. 169 in Brooklyn, were reluctant to take praise for the save back then, and were as humble yesterday afternoon as they accepted their awards and U.S. Savings Bonds. "Right place at the right time, that's it," said Gerrish, a nine-year FDNY veteran and Grant City resident. On July 13, at about 3:30 p.m., the two men were driving on Hylan Boulevard, toward Tottenville, when they spotted smoke coming from a townhouse complex at 50 Yacht Club Cove. A fire had broken out in one of the townhouses after an electrical malfunction, and its owner, Robin Lucey, wasn't home. The two firefighters pulled a U-turn and ran to the complex to see if anyone needed help. They broke down the townhouse door and found Dime, a male 17-year-old mixed-breed cat, resting on a bed upstairs. "He was very calm," said Egan, a Dongan Hills resident who has served in the FDNY for eight years. Dime and Mrs. Lucey were reunited minutes later. Egan's 7-year-old son, John, and Gerrish's wife, Bernadette, watched as FDNY brass lauded the two men yesterday. "It's a comfort zone for Staten Islanders to know that when guys are off-duty, they're never really off-duty. They put their lives on the line," said Chief Michael Feminella of the 21st Battalion in Rosebank. "Firefighters are great neighbors to have around," said Island Fire Chief Thomas Haring. "Whether coaching your children on the field or watching out for your neighborhood, what you get is the honest sincerity to protect their neighbors, their neighborhood and the public they are sworn to protect."
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